books44 Chapter 515: Crossing the Bridge and Staying in a Hotel
Chapter 515: Crossing the Bridge and Staying in a Hotel
As it approached the hour of You, the four of them arrived at the Shikong Bridge.
The Shikong Bridge is a stone arch bridge built by Jinyang City to cross the Kun River. It is about 30 meters long and has ten arch rings for draining water, so it is called the Shikong Bridge. The scale of this bridge project is perhaps the largest in Cangmu Country.
Moreover, it connects the north and south ends of the official road from Jinyang City to Jieyun Pass and Jiaoshan, and its role is vital, so there is always a battalion of soldiers guarding it all year round.
Although Chu Xiaomu heard Jinglan say that the bridge was well prepared, he didn't know what she had prepared, so he was still a little worried.
Liu Zang took out three silver coins from the big bag in advance, and handed the rest back to Chu Xiaomu, saying: "Thank you three masters for bringing me out of Xiaotu Mountain. I have had enough of the days of banditry. I heard that it is difficult to cross the Ten-Arch Bridge without a certificate. I have no choice but to find another way. I will say goodbye to you three here..."
Chu Xiaomu was stunned and asked, "Brother Liu, you're not going with us?"
Liu Zang shook his head and said with a bitter face: "I can't go with you even if I want to. I can only sneak past when there are many people around..."
Chu Xiaomu thought that I had done my best to rescue him from Xiaotu Mountain, and if he really couldn't make it, there was nothing I could do. Besides, I came to Jinyang City for Bicheng's important affairs, and it would be inconvenient for him to follow me, so it would be best if we separated.
He took out the small object wrapped in several layers of cloth that Liu Zang had lost to him in a bet, and said, "Brother Liu, I was just joking when I made the bet with you. I'm returning this thing to you."
Liu Zang refused to accept it, saying, "If I win, I win. If I lose, I lose. Why should I take it back? Besides, this thing should have been given to someone as capable as you, the second master. It would be useless for me to take it."
Chu Xiaomu couldn't refuse, so he had to put it away and asked Liu Zang what it was.
Liu Zang leaned close to Chu Xiaomu's ear and whispered, "It's a rare treasure. I stole it from an old man who passed by Xiaotu Mountain... Later, I felt sorry for him, so I returned all the coins I stole from him. I also wanted to return this thing to him, but he refused to take it and made me lose it in a bet. But I had great luck recently and won every time, so no one wanted to gamble with me anymore. It wasn't until I ran into your second master's family two days ago that I finally lost this thing... Hehe, I, Liu Guangtou, finally helped someone get something done, so I can't be said to be useless."
Chu Xiaomu listened to his long and confusing speech but still didn't understand what he meant. He thought he would ask Jinglan later, maybe she would know.
He wanted to tell Liu Zang his true identity, but after thinking about it, he held back. He then took out ten gold shell coins from his bag and gave them to Liu Zang. Liu Zang loved money, so he naturally accepted them with many thanks.
After the four of them said goodbye, Jinglan took out three official certificates from her bosom and gave one to Chu Xiaomu and Xiaoying each.
Chu Xiaomu said: "Miss Jinglan, I didn't expect you to have prepared three documents a long time ago. How...how did you know..."
Jinglan snorted softly and said, "I knew you wouldn't want to come so far to see your sister Yingying. If you don't bring her with you, you might not be able to accomplish anything!"
Chu Xiaomu was so moved that he didn't know what to say.
The guards of the Shikong Bridge saw that the three men were dressed in rich clothes and had the pass documents, so they asked a few questions and let them pass. Without exception, these people praised the horses led by the three men. Fortunately, there were many people passing through the customs, so they didn't have time to ask questions.
After crossing the bridge and walking for more than an hour, it was already dark. However, there was no city near the official road, so the three had to stay overnight in a farmer's house.
They set off again at dawn the next day. The three of them had fine horses to ride on, and they could gallop at full speed when they reached a deserted place, so they reached Jinyang City before noon.
The walls of Jinyang City are thick and high, built entirely with white stone. On the stone piers on both sides of the city gate are carved two majestic and powerful beasts, which look neither like lions nor tigers.
Jinglan said that the strange beast was named Mengji, an ancient strange beast that was said to be able to restrain evil spirits. People in Jinyang City liked to build them on both sides of the gate to keep out evil spirits and ensure safety.
After entering the city, Jinglan immediately asked where the best inn in Jinyang City was. Everyone she asked pointed to the west and said it was the Jinbian Guesthouse outside Tiankun Castle. It was magnificent and almost the same as the one inside Tiankun Castle, but the price was a bit expensive and ordinary people could not afford it.
The three of them carried a huge amount of money with them, and they didn't care much about whether it was expensive or not.
Chu Xiaomu had been used to being frugal since he was a child, and he lived a very simple life in the Bicheng Army. He also saw that people like General Bi Ye and the King of All Beasts were also very simple, so he was influenced by them and did not like these luxurious things very much.
However, after arriving in the city, matters such as accommodation and meals were arranged by Jinglan, the "big brother". Chu Xiaomu and Xiaoying just followed along and had some free time.
He thought that Jinglan was originally a very quiet and shy girl. It was unexpected that after only one year of learning from Huang Jieshi, she became very opinionated and bold in everything she did. This was a dramatic change. However, this might also be due to the death of her father Zhou Bo.
Thinking of Zhou Bo, the former commander of the Nanding Army, Chu Xiaomu couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
The three of them came to the gold-rimmed inn whose eaves, pillars and windows were all inlaid with gold flowers. They asked the price and found out it was only three silver coins per room per day. Naturally, they happily asked for three rooms next to each other.
The innkeeper advised: "Three guests, you are two men and one woman, I think two rooms are enough, you two brothers can stay in one, there is no need to waste this money."
Chu Xiaomu's face immediately turned red to the neck, but fortunately the hotel attendant was looking through the hotel's accommodation book and did not notice this.
He turned his head and glanced at Jinglan. She had disguised herself and put on makeup, so nothing could be seen on her face. He thought that her fair and beautiful face under the fake mask must have turned as red as a bright peach blossom, and he couldn't help but feel distracted.
Jinglan said in a rough voice: "I said three rooms, so it means three rooms. Why are you babbling?!"
The shop assistant muttered a few words and thought to himself, I meant well to do this for you, but instead I got scolded for no reason. I'm really unlucky today.
He was angry, so he picked three remote guest rooms that no guests would normally choose, and led the three people there. This actually suited the three people's wishes better.
After checking in, Chu Xiaomu hadn’t even sat down when Jinglan and Xiaoying pushed the door open and walked in.
Xiaoying said happily: "Brother Xiaomu, I think there are many more fun places in Jinyang City than Huachanyi and Bailaji. Please take us out to play."